Thermal regulation system

ABSTRACT

A sorption heat pump having an evaporator containing a working fluid to evaporate the fluid to produce a gas, a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the gas during a sorption phase, a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and sorber, and a thermal control unit controlling the rate of vapor flow between the evaporator and sorber through the pathway, and being selectively operable to permit, stop and restart the flow of gas through the pathway. The pump may be used with a compartment storing temperature sensitive material. The evaporator may be positioned inside and the sorber outside the compartment, or the sorber may be positioned inside and the evaporator outside the compartment. The pump may be used in an apparatus including both cool and warm compartments, with an insulation layer in each. A method is disclosed for reusing the pump after the sorption material has been sorbed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed generally to a system, device, andmethod for thermal regulation.

Description of the Related Art

One example of a thermal regulation system is a sorption heat pump. Thesorption heat pump is a device that moves heat from one place to anotherby vaporizing a working material, also known as a working fluid, in onelocation (the evaporator) and sorbing the working material to a sorptionmaterial in a different location (the sorber). The evaporator and thesorber are connected by a vapor pathway. The evaporation of the workingfluid into a working fluid gas in the evaporator requires the input ofheat energy, thereby cooling the evaporator. The sorption of the workingmaterial in the sorber releases heat energy, thereby heating the sorber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a sorption heat pump system and a phasechange material buffer.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in cooling configurationusing a sorption heat pump and a phase change material buffer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in heating configurationusing a sorption heat pump and a phase change material buffer.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in universal configurationusing a sorption heat pump, a phase change material buffer, and a heatpipe heater.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in cooling configurationusing an externally rechargeable sorption heat pump and a phase changematerial buffer in contact with the sorber.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross section drawing of a temperature-controlledcontainer with a thermal regulation system in cooling configurationusing an internally rechargeable sorption heat pump and a phase changematerial buffer in contact with the sorber.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross section drawing of a two-chambertemperature-controlled container, where each chamber is a differenttemperature, using a sorption heat pump system and multiple phase changematerial buffers.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the components of the sorption heat pump.

FIG. 9 is a view of an example thermal control unit.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an example thermal control unit.

FIG. 11 is an example of a vapor pathway coupler.

FIG. 12A is a cross section view of an example thermal control unitvalve mechanism shown with the vapor pathway opened.

FIG. 12B is a cross section view of the example thermal control unitvalve mechanism of FIG. 12A shown with the vapor pathway closed.

FIG. 12C is a cross section view of a second example thermal controlunit valve mechanism using an internal stopper forming a barrier withinthe vapor pathway, shown with the vapor pathway opened.

FIG. 12D is a cross section view of the second example thermal controlunit valve mechanism of FIG. 12C using an internal stopper forming abarrier within the vapor pathway, shown with the vapor pathway closed.

FIG. 13A is a cross section view of an example insulated container madeof vacuum insulation panels.

FIG. 13B is a cross section view of another example insulated containermade of vacuum insulation panels.

FIG. 14 is a graph of thermal performance of a first exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 15 is a graph of thermal performance of a second exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 16 is a graph of thermal performance of a third exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 17 is a graph of thermal performance of a fourth exampletemperature-controlled container using a sorption heat pump, phasechange material buffers and a heat pipe heater.

FIG. 18 is a graph of thermal performance of a prototype of the twochamber temperature-controlled container of FIG. 7 , where one chamberis heated and one chamber is cooled by the sorption heat pump.

FIG. 19A is a cross section view of a third example thermal control unitvalve mechanism shown with a valve operated to open the vapor pathway.

FIG. 19B is a cross section view of a third example thermal control unitvalve mechanism shown with the valve operated to close the vaporpathway.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forthin the following description and in the figures to provide a thoroughunderstanding of such embodiments.

The present invention may have additional embodiments, may be practicedwithout one or more of the details described for any particulardescribed embodiment, or may have any detail described for oneparticular embodiment practiced with any other detail described foranother embodiment.

As used herein and unless otherwise indicated, the terms “a” and “an”are taken to mean “one”, “at least one” or “one or more.” Unlessotherwise required by context, singular terms used herein shall includepluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words ‘comprise’, ‘comprising’, and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or pluralnumber also include the plural and singular number, respectively.Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” and “below” and words ofsimilar import, when used in this application, shall refer to thisapplication as a whole and not to any particular portions of theapplication.

One embodiment of the invention is a system capable of maintaining aregulated temperature or heat transfer rate using a sorption heat pumpsystem, and in some embodiments, a phase change material (PCM) buffer.In some embodiments, the sorption heat pump system can have a valve tocontrol the vapor flow in which the valve is independent of temperature(for example, an on/off switch). In some embodiments, the sorption heatpump system can have a thermostat to control vapor flow, in which thethermostat controls vapor flow in response to temperature.

As noted above, the sorption heat pump system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is adevice that moves heat from one place to another by vaporizing a workingmaterial in one location (an evaporator 120) and sorbing the workingmaterial to a sorption material in a different location (a sorber 110).The evaporator 120 and the sorber 110 are connected by a vapor pathway130. The evaporation of the working material in the evaporator 120requires the input of heat energy, thereby cooling the evaporator. Thesorption of the working material in the sorber 110 releases heat energy,thereby heating the sorber. There are many working material/sorber pairsknown. For example, an especially effective pair of materials is wateras the working material and zeolite as the sorption material. With thiswater/zeolite pair, cooling and heating rates in excess of 100 Watts canbe achieved by evacuating the air out of the sorption heat pump to apressure level of less than 10 mbar, for example. The water thenevaporates in the evaporator 120 at lower temperatures due to the lowerpressure and the sorber 110 sorbs the water vapor. The preciseevaporation temperature of the water in the evaporator 120 can becontrolled by controlling the pressure in the evaporator 120. Thepressure can be controlled by means of a thermal control unit 140 (e.g.,a valve or thermostat) between the evaporator 120 and the sorber 110which controls the rate of vapor flow between the evaporator and thesorber. Likewise, the temperature in the sorber can be controlled bycontrolling the rate of vapor flow into the sorber by means of thethermal control unit 140. In this way, the rate of heat transfer fromone side to another can be started, stopped and controlled. For example,the thermal control unit 140 can control the temperature of the sorberby a thermostat. For example, the thermal control unit 140 can controlthe temperature of the sorber in a manner that is independent oftemperature, such as with an on/off valve.

In some embodiments, the sorption heat pump system is reversible, or“chargeable.” This means that the working material can be desorbed fromthe sorption material, typically by heating the sorption material. Theheating of the sorption material can be accomplished in many ways, forexample, through the sorber being placed in an oven or toaster-likeappliance. Another type of heater is a built-in heating system thatheats the sorber 110 from the inside. The working material then desorbsfrom the sorption material and condenses in the evaporator, or in acompartment between the sorber and the evaporator. The sorption heatpump may then be used again. The sorption heat pump system can be“charged” and then stored with no energy input needed before being usedas a heat transfer system at a later time.

The sorption heat pump system can be composed of any number ofevaporator sections and sorber sections. In some embodiments, thesorption heat pump system 100 is composed of two sections: theevaporator 120 and the sorber 110. These two sections can be joined bythe vapor pathway 130 through which heat is transferred by a vapor. Thevapor pathway can have a thermal control unit 140 such as a valve orother vapor control mechanism that can be opened or closed variably toallow vapor to flow through or to slow or halt the flow of vapor. Whenthe valve is open, the vapor evaporates in the evaporator 120 and isadsorbed or absorbed in the sorber 110, thereby transferring heat fromthe evaporator section to the sorber section.

A phase change material, known as PCM, is a material that changes phaseat a specific temperature or temperature range. One example of a basicphase change material is water, which changes from a liquid to a solidat 0 degrees Celsius (“° C.”). Other types of phase change materialsexist that change phase at various temperatures, for example 5° C. or80° C. A key property of the PCM is that the material has a significantamount of latent heat at the phase change temperature. This means thatthe PCM can act as a thermal battery or buffer and release or absorbheat at its phase change temperature. The PCM can thereby serve as athermal buffer between two or more areas of different temperatures.

In some embodiments, the properties of the sorption heat pump system 100and a PCM buffer 150 are combined to create an integral, shelf-stablethermal regulation system that does not require any external energyinput during heating or cooling. The system can be used to maintain acompartment within a predetermined temperature range, even with varyingexternal temperatures, without any external inputs. FIGS. 14-17 showprototype temperature data from such a system. In FIGS. 14-17 , thedesired payload compartment temperature is 2-8° C. In FIG. 14 , thepayload compartment drops below 2° C. when the external ambient is below0° C. because the PCM buffer 150 is not in place. In FIG. 15 , thepayload compartment does not drop below 4° C. even when the externalambient temperature is below 0° C. because the PCM buffer 150 and theevaporator 120 work together as a heat pipe to distribute the heatwithin a payload compartment 210 (for example, see compartment in FIG. 2). In FIG. 16 , the payload compartment 210 stays under 7° C. even whenthe external ambient is 35° C. In FIG. 17 , the payload compartment 210stays between 2° C. and 8° C. at ambient temperature as low as −10° C.and as high as 31° C.

In some embodiments, such a system that combines a sorption heat pumpand phase change material can be used to keep a compartment or item coldor hot. For example, to keep something cold, the evaporator side of asorption heat pump system may reach −15° C. If the desire is to maintainthe cool side temperature at 5° C., a 5° C. PCM could be added to thesystem such that the PCM absorbs any excess energy between 5° C. and−15° C. from the evaporator.

The invention, in some embodiments, is a system that can regulatetemperature using the sorption heat pump 100 and the phase changematerial PCM buffer 150. The PCM buffer can be used in multiple ways.One option is to maintain the desired internal temperature of acompartment by absorbing and/or releasing energy from or into a heatpump. Another option is to maintain the desired internal compartmenttemperature by absorbing and/or releasing energy from or into theexterior environment.

In FIG. 2 , the sorption heat pump system 100 and the phase changematerial PCM buffer 150 are integrated into a thermal regulation systemin a temperature-controlled container 200. FIG. 2 shows a system inwhich the payload compartment 210 is maintained at a temperature coolerthan the ambient outside temperature surrounding thetemperature-controlled container 200. The evaporator 120 and the phasechange material buffer 150 are both situated inside an insulation layer220. A preferred embodiment is where the phase change material buffer150 is positioned between the evaporator 120 and the inward payloadcompartment 210 wall. The sorber 110 is situated outside the insulationlayer 220. The phase change material PCM buffer 150 has a high specificenergy density (for example, it can be a material with a phasetransition at 5° C. with a thermal storage capacity of 200-250 J/g). Inthe preferred embodiments, the temperature-controlled container 200 maybe positioned inside an outer carton. In this case, the outer cartonshould be vented in the area near the sorber 110 to assist with heatrejection from the sorber to the environment.

Another embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 3 , has the payloadcompartment 210 temperature kept at a temperature warmer than thesurrounding ambient temperature outside the temperature-controlledcontainer 200. This is possible by changing the orientation of theevaporator 120 and sorber 110. For the payload compartment 210 to bekept warm, the evaporator 120 is placed exterior of the insulation layer220 and the sorber 110 is situated interior of the insulation layer 220.This allows transfer of heat from outside the payload compartment 210 toinside the payload compartment 210. The phase change material PCM buffer150 stores a significant amount of energy at higher temperatures (forexample, an 80° C. phase change material with a thermal storage capacityof 220 J/g).

An additional embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4 . Thisembodiment comprises a temperature-controlled container 200 that coolsthe payload compartment 210 when the outside ambient temperature ishotter than the desired payload compartment temperature while alsoheating the payload compartment 210 when the outside ambient temperatureis lower than the desired payload compartment temperature range. Thiscan be achieved by the evaporator 120 and the phase change material PCMbuffer 150 both being placed interior of the insulation layer 220 whilethe sorber 110 is placed exterior of the insulation layer 220. In thecooling mode, the thermal control unit 140 of the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 is set to maintain a temperature range inside the payloadcompartment 210 by regulating the amount of vapor transferred (andtherefore the amount of cooling) from the evaporator 120 to the sorber110, for example by means of a thermostat. When the outside ambienttemperature drops below the desired payload compartment temperaturerange, the thermal control unit 140 stops the flow of vapor, therebyeffectively stopping the transfer of heat through vapor from the insideof the payload compartment 210 to the outside of the compartment. Thesystem then enters a passive heating mode. In passive heating mode, thephase change material PCM buffer 150 begins to freeze, which releasesits latent heat into the payload compartment 210. This latent heat thenmaintains the payload compartment temperature within the desired rangeuntil the PCM buffer is completely frozen. In very cold ambienttemperatures, the phase change material PCM buffer 150 can be replacedor augmented by a different heat source, such as a heat pipe heater 160.The heat pipe heater 160 is integrated with the evaporator 120 so that aheat pipe effect distributes heat from the heat pipe heater 160throughout the evaporator 120. For example, if the desired payloadcompartment temperature is 2-8° C. at ambient temperatures ranging from−10° C. to 35° C., the sorption heat pump system can be used to cool thecompartment to the desired range when the ambient temperature is above5° C. When the ambient temperature is below 5° C., for example, a 4° C.phase change material PCM buffer can be used to passively raise thepayload compartment temperature to the desired range of 2-8° C. untilthe PCM buffer is frozen. When the PCM buffer 150 is frozen, the thermalcontrol unit 140 activates the heat pipe heater 160, thereby heating thepayload compartment 210 through the heat pipe effect with the evaporator120. The phase change material can be used to stay above freezingtemperature in the compartment. In some embodiments, the heating andcooling modes can be reversed and/or repeated.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an additional embodiment of the invention in crosssection. In these figures, the PCM buffer 150 is in thermal contact withthe sorber 110. The PCM buffer 150 absorbs heat from the sorber 110 inorder to regulate the temperature of the sorber 110 and protect the userfrom excess heat coming from the sorber 110. The evaporator 120 issituated inside the payload compartment 210 and cools the payloadcompartment 210. The vapor pathway 130 permits the flow of vapor fromthe evaporator 120 to the sorber 110. The thermal control unit 140regulates the flow of vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber 110 inorder to reach a temperature range inside the payload compartment 210.The payload compartment 210 and evaporator 120 are surrounded by acontainer 200, such as a vacuum insulated bottle. The amount andtemperature range of the PCM buffer 150 is calculated according to theevaporator size, amount of material to be cooled, and the heat leak ofthe insulation layer 220. FIG. 6 includes an additional component, asorber heating coil 118. The sorber heating coil 118 is used to heat thesorber 110 to recharge the sorption heat pump.

Some embodiments of the invention may be combined with a compressorsystem, or another variety of an existing system. The embodiment can bea battery free cooling and heating system for controlling temperature ofa portable unit, but there may be instances when combining the inventionwith a compressor-based system (which does require batteries orelectricity during use), could be desirable. For example, one may wantthe invention described as a backup system to a standardcompressor-based cooling system or another variant or type of system.

As noted above, the sorption heat pump system 100 contains the thermalcontrol unit 140, that allows for start stop (or on/off) systemfunction. This results in the system being able to be stored ready touse at a variety of ambient temperatures and the temperature regulationfunction can be started or stopped as desired by the user, or as set bya control mechanism. For example, the on/off function may be triggeredbased on time or thermal thresholds (such as internal or externaltemperature and/or pressure or a combination thereof). As an additionalexample, the system could be started after a set amount of time, forinstance as a backup system to provide cooling.

The temperature control system can be configured for use multiple timeson a single “charge” where one could have temperature regulationactivated for a period of time, then stop the temperature regulation fora period of time, then restart the temperature regulation again withoutneeding any external inputs such as electricity, batteries, ice, orother new phase change materials. This can be repeated any number oftimes.

The temperature control system can also be a single-use or‘irreversible’ control, such that once the unit is turned on, it muststay on for its full life and cannot be turned off (for example, throughmechanical, electronic, or digital means, or a combination thereof).This could be valuable in tamper-evident systems where a user may wantto be certain that the device has not been turned on previously.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can be non-separable from the walls ofthe temperature-controlled container 200.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can be separable from the walls of thetemperature-controlled container 200. A fully used sorption heat pumpsystem can be removed from the temperature-controlled container andreplaced with a “charged” sorption heat pump system.

The phase change material PCM buffer 150 can be integrated into theevaporator 120 to enable a “heat pipe” effect within the evaporator. Aheat pipe is a device, which moves heat via a continuous cycle ofevaporation and condensation. Heat evaporates a liquid and the resultingvapor condenses in cooler areas and gives off the heat. This cyclecontinuously moves heat from warmer to cooler areas quite quickly. Thisheat pipe effect helps to maintain similar temperatures throughout theevaporator, and therefore throughout the payload compartment 210. Thephase change material PCM buffer 150 can be integrated or adjacent to orotherwise thermally connected to the evaporator 120.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can use a specialized custom-designeddesiccant as the sorption material that achieves an energy density, forexample, of 150 Watthours per kilogram. However, the present inventioncan function with other varieties of desiccant including those not yetdeveloped.

The evaporator 120 of the sorption heat pump system 100 can be made intoa variety of geometric shapes. For example, the evaporator can beconfigured with any number of planar sides. The planar sides can besituated as to form an enclosed region. The evaporator can be connectedthermally to other parts of the surface area of the payload compartment210, for example, but not limited to, with copper, aluminum, heat pipes,and/or forced convection.

The sorber 110 of the sorption heat pump system 100 may be created usinga special hot-fill process. First, the sorption material is heated anddried externally. The temperature range reached during heating needs tobe optimized to achieve particular performance requirements withoutdamaging the sorption material or the sorber vacuum barrier material 102in FIG. 8 . The sorber barrier material 102 used around the sorber 110can be for example, from the list including, but not limited to, amulti-layer foil containing an aluminum or metallized barrier, orstainless steel, glass and/or plastics.

The sorber 110 of the heat pump 100 may be made into a variety ofgeometric shapes. For example, the sorber could be of a shape from thelist including, but not limited to, cylindrical, spherical, andrectangular in a variety of dimensions. The sorber could be connectedthermally to a variety of other materials, such as plastics, phasechange material, metals, or gas.

Additional components of the system may be heated, degassed, and cleanedin special ways to achieve optimum performance.

The sorption heat pump 100 system can be rechargeable. The sorber 110can be heated using, for example, but not limited to, heating plates, awater bath, an oil bath, hot air, and/or heating rods. The heatingsource can be integrated inside the sorber or outside the sorber. Theevaporator side can be cooled during recharging using any coolingmethod, for example, but not limited to, natural convection, forcedconvection, a liquid bath, an air flow, cold plates, cold fingers,and/or cold sprays.

The thermal control unit 140 may be one or more of several types. Forexample, the thermal control unit 140 could be composed of a bistablevalve that restricts the flow of the working material. The thermalcontrol unit could be composed of an on\off valve. The thermal controlunit could include a check valve, or other varieties of valve, or evenvalves yet to be developed.

In some embodiments, the thermal control unit could also be sensitive totemperature, in this case described as a thermostat. Such a thermostatcould be one of several types, such as, but not limited to, a bimetal orcapillary component or a pressure regulator thermostat.

The payload compartment 210 may be insulated using any insulativematerial, such as, but not limited to, vacuum insulation panels (VIPs),cardboard, foam, plastic, fiberglass insulation, and/or vacuuminsulation.

The sorption heat pump system 100 could also be used outside of aninsulation in order to maintain a standard temperature (e.g., a coolingunit add-on that is placed in front of a fan for rapidtemperature-controlled air access at a set temperature).

The sorption heat pump system 100 could be under a vacuum. If under avacuum, that vacuum could be kept in a variety of ways, either throughan active pump or through evacuation and hermetic sealing to maintainthe vacuum over time.

The PCM buffer 150 can be physically incorporated into the sorption heatpump system 100 or the PCM buffer could be thermally connected to thesorption heat pump system or the PCM buffer could be separate from thesorption heat pump system and simply part of the same system in effect.

The sorption heat pump system 100 can be used to COOL or HEAT ormaintain at a given temperature range.

The evaporative material can be water, which is non-toxic, but is notlimited to water. The evaporative working material could also be, butnot limited to, ammonia and/or a refrigerant, and/or other materialswith an appropriate vapor pressure.

The desiccant can be zeolite, including a binder-free zeolite, but isnot limed to zeolites; the desiccant could also be, but not limited to,calcium chloride or silica or other materials that sorb the evaporativeworking material(s).

The PCM buffer 150 can be liquid or solid or gel, or other states ofmatter (such as, but not limited to, liquid crystal) or a combinationthereof. The PCM buffer can be molded around the evaporator 120, thesorber 110, and/or be placed around the edges of the payload compartment210.

The sorption heat pump system 100 may be configured for single-use orreusable. The PCM buffer 150 may be configured for single-use orreusable. The temperature-controlled container 200 may be configured forsingle-use or reusable.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross section of an embodiment of a two-chambertemperature controlled container 500 with a sorption heat pump systemconfigured to include two payload compartments 510 and 520 at differenttemperatures. In this embodiment, the payload compartment 510 is warmedby a sorber 540 and the payload compartment 520 is cooled by anevaporator 530. A warm PCM buffer 580 helps regulate the temperature ofthe payload compartment 510 and a cool PCM buffer 570 helps regulate thetemperature of the payload compartment 520. The payload compartment 510is heated while the payload compartment 520 is cooled at the same time.A vapor pathway 550 permits the flow of vapor from the evaporator 530 tothe sorber 540 as controlled by a thermal control unit 560. The payloadcompartment 510, the warm PCM buffer 580 and the sorber 540 aresurrounded by a warm insulation layer 590. The payload compartment 520,the cool PCM buffer 570 and the evaporator 530 are surrounded by a coolinsulation layer 570. Depending on the temperature ranges desired inpayload compartments 520 and 510, the PCM buffers 570 and 580 may beindividually or both removed. The sorption heat pump system comprisingthe evaporator 530, sorber 540, vapor pathway 550 and thermal controlunit 560 could be swapped in and out for recharging outside of thetwo-chamber temperature controlled container 500 or it may be charged inplace.

FIG. 18 shows example thermal performance data from a prototype of thetwo-chamber temperature controlled container 500 of FIG. 7 with asorption heat pump system. In FIG. 18 , “hot side” refers to the sorber540 and “cold side” refers to the evaporator 530. FIG. 18 shows apayload compartment 510 warmed to temperatures greater than 50° C. andpayload compartment 520 cooled to temperatures lower than 10° C. at anambient external temperature of 20° C.

A benefit of certain embodiments of the temperature-controlled container200 is the ability to have a device ready to use immediately forregulating temperature without the need for any refrigeration or heatingof a phase change material prior to use.

Another benefit of certain embodiments of this system is that it can belower weight than systems that only use phase change material, given thegreater energy density possible in the evaporative phase change processwithin the sorption heat pump system.

An additional benefit of certain embodiments of this system is beingable to not require an active heating or cooling system during usebecause the combination provides adequate thermal protection. This isparticularly true for cold weather protection (versus an active heatingsystem or simply good insulation).

Yet another benefit of certain embodiments of the temperature-controlledcontainer 200 is that the phase change material PCM buffer 150 does notneed to be frozen or refrigerated separately from the system, whichleads to easier logistics when in use. The entire system can sit at avariety of room temperatures, and once the sorption heat pump valve isopened, the desired system temperature will be reached. This is asignificant improvement from existing systems, many of which requireeither built-in heating or cooling powered by electric input from abattery or other means. In addition, many other systems require externalheating or cooling immediately prior to use, which adds significantlogistic constraints. Certain embodiments of this system remove both ofthe aforementioned logistics constraints, which are common in currentusage: (1) No external energy input is required during use to maintainthe desired temperature, and (2) No active heating or cooling systemsare required immediately prior to system use.

A further benefit of certain embodiments of the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 is the use of the thermal control unit 140 to control whenthe system is in operation. When the thermal control unit opens thevalve, the system is in active temperature regulation operation.However, the valve can be closed partway through operation and maintainthe remaining thermal power of the system. Then, when needed again, thevalve can be reopened, all without the need of any external energyinput. The switchable nature of the system is valuable in givingadditional flexibility for use.

A benefit of certain embodiments of the sorption heat pump system 100 isthat they can maintain a set temperature range when the ambienttemperature is both either hotter than desired or colder than desired.

The design of the sorption heat pump system 100 may be in asubstantially linear fashion, such as shown in FIG. 8 . For the purposesof this embodiment, the sorber 110 section is on the left and theevaporator 120 section on the right, but they may be in differentconfigurations. The thermal control unit 140 is in the middle, though itmay be located elsewhere in other embodiments. The width of the sorber110 and the evaporator 120 may be equal to each other, or they may beunequal. The design may be encased in an external barrier material 102layer comprised of one or more materials which, depending on thematerials, may have different thermodynamic properties; in the case of abarrier of multiple materials they may differ, allowing the system tofocus heat pumping into certain areas while limiting the thermodynamicinteraction of others.

The thermal control unit 140 may be composed of tubes, pipes, or othermaterial, which allows a flow of vapor while supporting a vacuum areathrough which the vapor flows. This material may be a uniaxially rigidgrid material. The material may also be a biaxial or triaxial gridmaterial.

The thermal control unit 140 may be closed externally by pinching atube. The tube may be pinched closed by sliding a second componentbetween the tube and a third component. The tube of the thermal controlunit may be opened by pulling a tab. In some embodiments, the tube maybe closed by using a valve and/or plug. The tab may be a substantiallyrectangular component; however, the tab may take other shapes andconfigurations for other embodiments. In some embodiments, the tube maybe flexible while in others it may be inflexible, and utilizealternative methods of closing.

The valve 143 of the thermal control unit 140 may be designed as shownschematically in FIGS. 12A and 12B, or alternatively, as shownschematically in FIGS. 12C and 12D. In FIGS. 12A and 12B, an externalactuator 138 is positioned adjacent to the vapor pathway 130. FIG. 12Ashows the external actuator 138 in the opened position, which allowsvapor to flow through the vapor pathway 130. The actuator 138 is rotatedto close the vapor pathway 130 to vapor flow. FIG. 12B shows the valve143 in the closed position. The actuator 138 is designed to be openedand closed repeatedly, either by a user or by a controller. The externalactuator 138 is positioned outward of the vacuum barrier material 102.Other embodiments may involve a switch, button, or pulling mechanism toactuate the valve.

FIGS. 12C and 12D show a vapor pathway 130 composed of a flexible tubewherein lies an internal stopper 136 that is positionable to form abarrier within the vapor pathway 130. The internal stopper 136 ispositioned inward of the vacuum barrier material 102. The internalstopper 136 may be placed in the open or closed position via squeezingthe tube of the vapor pathway 130 in the appropriate place from theoutside. In FIG. 12C, the vapor pathway is shown opened, and in FIG.12D, the vapor pathway is shown closed. In other embodiments, the tubemay instead be rigid or only partially flexible and operated by a valveor other securing means.

In the evaporator section of the sorption heat pump system 100 shown inFIG. 8 by way of example, the location and amount of a sorbing orwicking material 122 should be optimized for optimal performance basedon the needs of the user and environment. The amount of this materialmay be more or less on the bottom of the evaporator 120 once placedinterior of the insulation layer 220. The amount of this material may bemore or less on the sides, or the top, of the evaporator 120 once placedin the insulation layer 220. In some embodiments, the material may onlypartially contact the sides of the temperature-controlled container 200(not shown in FIG. 8 ), while in others it will be flush or fullycontact.

The sorber 110 and evaporator 120 of the sorption heat pump system 100may be connected by one or more coupler(s) 144 (see FIG. 9 ) which maybe attached, welded, glued, or otherwise hermetically sealed to theexternal barrier material 102. This spout or coupler may then allowvapor flow through only a controlled cross section between theevaporator 120 and the sorber 110. An example of this coupler part isshown in FIG. 11 .

The temperature-controlled container 200 may be an insulated box havingany number of sides cooled, including 2 sides and the top and bottom.The insulated box may include having the 4 sides cooled but not the topor bottom. In some embodiments all sides of the container may be cooledbased on the arrangement of the device; the device may function insidecontainers with a variety of shapes including a variety of cuboids,cylinders, prisms, or containers taking other shapes.

The sorption heat pump system 100 may be evacuated through one or moreevacuation ports 126, as shown in FIG. 8 . The evacuation port 126 maybe composed of a grid material, which allows gas, and vapor flow throughit. The evacuation port 126 may be sealed by means of heat and/orpressure and/or adhesives and/or other sealing means.

The insulated layer 220, which substantially encloses the payloadcompartment 210, may be insulated with vacuum insulation panels (VIPs)222. Two examples of the arrangement of the VIPs 222 are shown in FIGS.13A and 13B. The VIPs 222 may be arranged such that interior access tothe payload compartment 210 is gained through a lid on top, or through adoor on a side. Some examples of the invention may incorporate openingsor doors that are incorporated into one of the sides or the lid/top;such variants may further incorporate seals to prevent insulationinefficiency.

The shape of the sorber 110 may be formed by a bag. The bag may be asimple 2-sided bag, or the bag may have more than 2 sides. The bag maybe shaped similar to a retort bag, or a gusseted bag. Some examples ofthe sorber 110 section may have a more rigid structure such as a bagthat is shaped such that it takes on a rounded-edge cubic shape, or itmay be of a rigid enough structure to hold an edged three-dimensionalshape.

The vacuum barrier material 102 and the design of the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 should be selected to allow the required functions whileminimizing the amount of heat transferred across the insulation layer220. This can be done by selecting thin materials with low thermalconductivity and by mechanical design which keeps the amount of materialcrossing the insulation layer 220 to a minimum. If desired for aspecific outcome, alternative variants may vary the thickness of theinsulation layer 220 on some or all of the sides to achieve results suchas fitting in a particular container more securely, or to direct theheat transfer. One such vacuum barrier material 102 is a multilayerlaminate material made from layers of differing materials where at leastone layer has low gas transfer rates, such as aluminum, and additionalmaterial layers, which add strength to the overall laminate and allowfor sealing the material together with low gas leak rates. One preferredembodiment of the vacuum barrier material 102 is a multilayer laminatewith an aluminum layer of at least seven micrometers thickness and asealing layer of polypropylene or polyamide with a melting temperaturegreater than 150 degrees Celsius. While metal or glass traditionallyhave the lowest gas transfer rates, any material that achieves a heliumleak rate of less than 10⁻⁴ millibar liters per second is suitable, evenif it does not contain metal or glass.

One embodiment of the invention is a shelf-stable temperature-controlledcontainer 200 that can provide a temperature-controlled spaceindependently on-demand without any external inputs (no pre-frozen ice,pre-conditioned PCM, or non-battery electricity must be used). This isaccomplished using an inventive thermal regulation system that maintainsthe temperature of the container within a set range for a period oftime. For example, the temperature-controlled container 200 maintains a12 liter internal volume of space at a temperature between 2-8° C. forat least 96 hours at an external ambient temperature of 30° C. Thethermal regulation system is a system that contains the sorption heatpump system 100, and in some embodiments, a phase change material PCMbuffer 150. The thermal regulation system also includes the thermalcontrol unit 140 to control the amount of cooling and/or heatingsupplied by the thermal regulation system, depending on the desiredinternal temperature and the heat load of the temperature-controlledcontainer 200. The thermal control unit 140 includes a valve to controlthe vapor flow inside the sorption heat pump.

Temperature-Controlled Container 200:

The standard methods for cooling a portable container include usingcompressors, thermoelectric devices, or a phase change material such asice. These all have certain drawbacks: compressors and thermoelectricdevices require a near-constant supply of electricity, either via plugor relatively large batteries; compressors are relatively noisy;thermoelectric devices are effective only in limited temperatures rangesand are extremely inefficient; phase change materials require apre-conditioning process (i.e. freezing) before use and must be keptconstantly frozen to avoid melting.

One preferred embodiment of the present invention of thetemperature-controlled container 200 is a portable container that avoidsall of these drawbacks. The container is “pre-charged” and can then bestored at room temperature before use. When cooling is desired, thethermal control unit 140 is activated and cooling starts immediately,with no need for any external inputs, such as electricity or phasechange materials. The preferred embodiment is near-silent, does notrequire any electrical input or large batteries, is effective across avery wide range of temperatures, is relatively efficient, and does notrequire any pre-conditioning process immediately prior to use.

The temperature-controlled container 200 consists of several integratedsystems. First, the insulated space payload compartment 210 is cooledand/or heated to a set temperature range such as 2-8° C. The purpose ofthe insulation layer 220 is to limit the amount of heat moving in or outof the payload compartment 210. In this case, the vacuum insulatedpanels (VIPs) 222 are used as the insulation layer 220; however, theinsulation could be vacuum insulation (like vacuum bottles), expandedpolystyrene, expanded polypropylene, or other insulating foams ormaterials. Second, the insulation layer 220 formed by the VIP panels iscontained within an outer carton, which may be made of cardboard orplastic. Third, a thermal control unit 140 is used to move, generate, orabsorb heat depending on the relative difference between the outsidetemperature and the desired temperature of the payload compartment 210.

Thermal Regulation System:

The thermal control system is comprised of several integrated systems.First, the sorption heat pump system 100 is used to provide activecooling when the outside temperature is warmer than the desired internaltemperature. Second, when the outside temperature is slightly below thedesired internal temperature, or below for a relatively shorter periodof time, the phase change material PCM buffer 150 containing the phasechange material (PCM) is used in concert with the sorption heat pumpsystem 100 to passively maintain the temperature of the payloadcompartment 210 within a desired specified range. Third, if the outsidetemperature is significantly lower than the desired internaltemperature, or lower for a longer period of time, then the phase changematerial capacity may be exhausted, in which case a heat pipe heater 160is used in concert with the sorption heat pump system 100 to maintainthe payload compartment 210 at a desired specific temperature. Fourth,the thermal control unit 140 senses the temperature of the payloadcompartment and regulates the amount of heating and cooling to maintainthe payload compartment at the desired specified temperature.

The sorption heat pump system 100 is a system composed of the evaporator120 and the sorber 110. The sorber 110 is placed outside of the payloadcompartment 210 and the evaporator 120 is placed inside the payloadcompartment 210. The sorber and evaporator are joined by the vaporpathway 130 through which heat is transferred by a vapor. The vaporpathway cross section is controlled by the thermal control unit 140,which can variably open and close a valve to allow the vapor to flowthrough or to slow or halt the flow of vapor. When the valve is open,the vapor evaporates in the evaporator 120 and is adsorbed or absorbedin the sorber 110, thereby transferring heat from the evaporator to thesorber.

Construction of the Sorption Heat Pump System 100:

FIG. 8 shows the internal components of one embodiment of the sorptionheat pump 100. The sorption heat pump system 100 uses zeolite 112 as thesorption material in the sorber 110 and water as the working material.In the preferred embodiment, the sorption material is simply placedinward of the barrier material 102 in the sorber. In an additionalembodiment, the sorption material is contained inside a removablecartridge and the sorber has a cartridge receiver within which thecartridge is removably positionable. The sorption heat pump system 100is entirely enclosed in a multilayer foil barrier 102 made of anenvelope of barrier material with high gas barrier properties so that avacuum level of 1-10 millibar may be created and maintained inside thefoil barrier 102 envelope made of the barrier material. The zeolite 112is enclosed in the sorber 110. A conduit comprises the vapor pathway 130extending between the sorber 110 and the evaporator 120 to allow theflow of water vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber 110. Insidethe evaporator are several layers of different materials. The wickingmaterial 122 is used to hold and distribute the liquid water around theentire evaporator. A semi-rigid channel material 124 is used to createchannels between the wicking material 122 and the foil barrier 102through which the water vapor can flow freely. When heat is applied tothe surface of the evaporator, the liquid water evaporates. Theresultant water vapor flows towards the sorber 110 through the channelmaterial 124, eventually flowing through the water vapor pathway 130into the sorber 110 where the water binds with the zeolite 112. Thewater vapor moves heat from the evaporator 120 to the sorber110. Thezeolite 112 effectively removes the water vapor from the enclosedenvironment, which allows more liquid water to evaporate in theevaporator and continue the cooling process. In FIG. 8 , the sorber 110,the evaporator 120, the vapor channel 130 and the thermal control unit140 are all inward of the vacuum barrier material 102. The evaporator120, the sorber 110, the vapor channel 130 and the thermal control unit140 may be substantially enclosed in separate vacuum barrier materials.The thermal control unit 140 may be partially inward and partiallyoutward of the vacuum barrier material 102. The thermal control unit 140may in some embodiments be fully outward of the vacuum barrier material102.

The cross-sectional size of the vapor pathway 130 depends on the desiredamount of heat transferred by the heat pump. A cross-sectional vaporpathway 130 size between 0.01 and 10 square centimeters will achieveheat transfer rates between 0.1 watts and 200 watts. A preferredembodiment has a cross-sectional vapor pathway size between 0.1 and 5square centimeters. The shape of the cross section of the vapor pathway130 may also minimize excess heat transfer. A preferred embodiment has avapor pathway 130 maximum size in one dimension between 0.01 and 2centimeters.

In the embodiment wherein the sorption material is zeolite and theworking fluid is water, the ratio of zeolite to water impacts thecorrect functioning of the sorption heat pump 100. A ratio between 100and 500 grams of water per kilogram of desorbed zeolite is desirable,and a ratio of 150-350 grams of water per kilogram of desorbed zeoliteis preferred for improved heat transfer and overall system mass. Thesize and shape of the zeolite 112 also impact improved vapor flow withinthe sorber 110. A zeolite granule diameter between 0.5 and 12millimeters is desirable, while a diameter between 2.5 and 5.0millimeters is preferred.

Phase Change Material PCM Buffer 150:

In some embodiments, the properties of the sorption heat pump 100 andthe PCM buffer 150 are combined to create an integrated system that canboth cool and heat the payload compartment 210. The cooling is providedby the sorption heat pump system 100 as described above. The heating isprovided by the PCM buffer 150. This is accomplished by placing a layerof the PCM buffer 150 in thermal contact with the evaporator 120 of thesorption heat pump system between the insulation layer 220 and theevaporator 120. The layer of the PCM buffer 150 is enclosed in anevacuated foil barrier material 102 envelope with high gas barrierproperties.

When the outside temperature is lower than the desired insidetemperature, heat flows out of the payload compartment 210. Normally thepayload compartment temperature would then decrease. The layer of thePCM buffer 150 acting in concert with the heat pump evaporator 120arrests and slows this temperature decrease. The heat outflow causes thetemperature of the PCM buffer 150 to decrease until the phase changetemperature is reached. The PCM then releases latent heat as it changesphase (freezes), thereby arresting and slowing the temperature decreasein the payload compartment 210 for a period of time. The thermal controlunit 140 stops the flow of vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber110 when cooling is not desired. The heat pump evaporator 120 then actsin concert with the layer of the PCM buffer 150 as a heat pipe todistribute the PCM latent heat around the payload compartment 210.Otherwise, areas of the payload compartment away from the PCM bufferlayer would still continue to fall in temperature. Once the PCM haschanged phase completely, the temperature of the payload compartmentcontinues to fall.

In FIG. 2 , the sorption heat pump system 100 and the phase changematerial PCM buffer 150 components are combined with the phase changematerial acting as a thermal buffer. FIG. 2 shows a system in which theinternal payload compartment 210 is maintained at a temperature coolerthan the ambient temperature surrounding the compartment. The evaporator120 and the phase change material PCM buffer 150 are both situatedinside the payload compartment 210 in thermal contact with each other.The sorber 110 is situated outside the payload compartment 210. Thephase change material has a high specific energy density (for example,it can be a material with a phase transition at 5 degrees Celsius with athermal storage capacity of 200-250 J/g).

Active Heating Unit:

For most use scenarios, where the outside temperatures stay between −10°C. and 35° C., the sorption heat pump system 100 using the PCM buffer150 is sufficient. For example, the industry standard ISTA 7D wintertest profile can be achieved. In some scenarios, the outside temperaturemay get colder than −10° C. or stay colder longer than the ISTA 7Dwinter temperature profile. In that case, an additional heat source isneeded. FIG. 4 shows the addition of the heat source in the form of aheat pipe heater 160 in thermal contact with the heat pump evaporator120. The heat pipe heater 160 heat source may be an electrical resistiveheat source, or a chemical heat source, or a thermoelectric heat source.When the layer of the PCM buffer 150 is completely frozen, the thermalcontrol unit 140 turns on the pipe heater to provide additional heat.This additional heat is transported around the payload compartment 210by the heat pump evaporator 120 acting as a heat pipe.

Thermal Control Unit 140:

The thermal control unit 140 monitors the temperature of the payloadcompartment 210, compares it to a desired temperature, and adjusts thecooling and heating rates to reach and maintain the desired temperature.The thermal control unit 140 includes a device to control the rate offlow of water vapor from the evaporator 120 to the sorber 110 in thesorption heat pump system 100. Two examples of this vapor flow ratecontrol are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 . In FIG. 9 , a valve 143 is openedand closed by the user or a controller to start and stop the movement ofvapor through the vapor pathway 130. The valve 143 may be inward oroutward of the vacuum barrier material 102 shown in FIG. 8 . The rate ofmovement of the vapor, and therefore the temperature, is controlled by amechanical thermostat 141 attached to the vapor pathway 130. Inside themechanical thermostat 141 is a coil of bimetal 142, which changes shapein response to temperature changes and opens or closes an orifice in thevapor pathway 130. The mechanical thermostat 141 is in thermal contactwith the evaporator 120. The bimetal 142 is situated such that it closesthe vapor pathway 130 when the payload compartment 210 temperature isbelow the desired setpoint, and opens the vapor pathway 130 when thetemperature of the payload compartment 210 is above the desiredsetpoint. The vapor pathway 130 is sealed to the material of the barrier102 by the coupler 144. At the end of the vapor pathway 130 opposite tothe mechanical thermostat 141 is a sorber channel 145. The sorberchannel 145 distributes the vapor to the zeolite 112 inside the sorber110.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram for a second example of the thermalcontrol unit 140. A controller 146 measures the temperature inside thepayload compartment 210 via a temperature sensor 149. The controller 146signals a gearmotor 147 to open or close a valve 148 in response to thetemperature sensor 149. The valve 148 is situated to open or close(partially or fully) the vapor pathway 130.

FIGS. 19A and 19B show cross sections of an example valve 148. FIG. 19Ashows the valve 148 in the opened position and FIG. 19B shows the valve148 in the closed position. The vapor pathway 130 is enclosed by barriermaterial 102. A seal barrier material 132 is sealed at each end toopposite inward sides of the barrier material 102, which completes theinternal seal across the vapor pathway 130 when the valve 148 is closed.On one side of the seal barrier 132 is a stabilization plate 134 and onthe other side is a seal gasket 135. In the preferred embodiment, a sealpin 133 is normally sealed closed against the seal gasket 135 byatmospheric pressure. In an additional embodiment, the seal pin is inthe normally open position and movable to the closed position. The sealpin 133 is movable by a user or by an actuator, such as the gearmotor147. When the seal pin 133 is in the open position, vapor flows throughthe vapor pathway 130. The seal pin 133 is opened and closed partiallyor fully to allow a specific vapor flow rate through the vapor pathway130 to maintain the temperature in the payload compartment 210 within aspecified range.

The thermal control unit 140 does not interact with the layer of the PCMbuffer 150, which passively impacts the temperature as described above.The thermal control unit 140 turns the heat pipe heater 160, on and offas needed to reach the desired temperature of the payload compartment210.

Method of Reuse of Thermal Regulation System:

Some sorption heat pumps are reversible, reconditionable, or“chargeable.” This means that the working material can be desorbed fromthe sorption material, typically by means of pressure and temperature.In some embodiments of the invention, the means of reversing thesorption heat pump system 100 are not built into the sorption heat pumpsystem itself, because this would add additional expense, weight, andspace to the product. Instead, a method of reversing, reconditioning, orrecharging, the sorption heat pump system in a controlled “recharging”facility, is provided.

After use, the thermal regulation system or sorption heat pump system isreturned to a charging facility. The sorption material in the sorber 110and the working material in the evaporator 120 are removed from thebarrier material 102. The sorption material is processed, orreconditioned, or desorbed to prepare the material for another use. Thedesorbed sorption material and the working material are then replacedinto a new barrier material envelope. The sorption heat pump system 100is then ready for another use.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be described in view of thefollowing clauses:

1. A sorption heat pump, comprising:

-   -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and        operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working        fluid gas in the evaporator;    -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb the        working fluid gas during a sorption phase;    -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber; and    -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of vapor        flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the vapor        pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next stop the        flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, and after        stopping the flow to then permit resumption of the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway.

2. The sorption heat pump of clause 1, further including a vacuumbarrier material positioned about the sorber and the evaporator toprovide a reduced pressure therewithin to promote evaporation of theworking fluid at a reduced temperature compared to the temperaturerequired at ambient pressure.

3. The sorption heat pump of clause 2, wherein the vacuum barriermaterial is a multilayer laminate material.

4. The sorption heat pump of clause 2 or 3, wherein the vacuum barriermaterial is also positioned about the vapor pathway.

5. The sorption heat pump of clause 4, wherein the vacuum barriermaterial is a multilayer laminate material.

6. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-5, wherein the thermalcontrol unit is positioned inward of the vacuum barrier material.

7. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-6, wherein the thermalcontrol unit is positioned outward of the vacuum barrier material.

8. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-7, wherein the thermalcontrol unit is positioned partially inward of vacuum barrier materialand partially outward of the vacuum barrier material.

9. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-8, wherein the sorptionmaterial is zeolite, the working fluid is water, and the reducedpressure is equal to or less than 10 mbar absolute pressure.

10. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 2-9, wherein the vacuumbarrier material is a multilayer laminate material with an aluminumlayer of at least seven micrometers thickness and a sealing layer ofpolypropylene or polyamide with a melting temperature greater than 150degrees Celsius.

11. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-10, further including avacuum barrier material positioned about the sorber, evaporator, andvapor pathway to provide a reduced pressure therewithin to promoteevaporation of the working fluid at a reduced temperature compared tothe temperature required at ambient pressure, the vacuum barriermaterial being a multilayer laminate material and including first,second, and third multilayer laminate material portions, and the thermalcontrol unit includes a vapor control valve made from the first, second,and third multilayer laminate material portions, a seal gasket, and aseal pin operable to control the rate of vapor flow between theevaporator and the sorber through the vapor pathway, the thirdmultilayer laminate material portion having a first end portion and asecond end portion, the first end portion being in sealed engagementwith the first multilayer laminate material portion and the second endportion being in sealed engagement with the second multilayer laminatematerial portion to define an internal barrier, the third multilayerlaminate material portion being positioned with the seal gasket tocreate a stable sealing surface, the seal pin protruding through thethird multilayer laminate material portion, but not through the firstmultilayer laminate material portion or through the second multilayerlaminate material portion, the seal pin being located proximal to theseal gasket, and the seal pin being movable toward the sealing surfaceby atmospheric pressure.

12. The sorption heat pump of clause 11, wherein the thermal controlunit further includes a gearmotor positioned outward of the first andsecond multilayer laminate material portions and proximal to the sealpin, the gearmotor being operable to move the seal pin to at least oneof at least partially opening the vapor control valve and at leastpartially closing the vapor control valve.

13. The sorption heat pump of clause 12, wherein the gearmotor isoperable to move the seal pin by pushing on the seal pin and deformingthe vacuum barrier material, and closing the vapor control valve by notpushing on the seal pin.

14. The sorption heat pump of clause 12 or 13, wherein the gearmotor iscontrolled by a controller.

15. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-14, further including afirst vacuum barrier positioned about the sorber, a second vacuumbarrier positioned about the evaporator, and a third vacuum barrierpositioned about the vapor pathway, to provide a reduced pressuretherewithin to promote evaporation of the working fluid at a reducedtemperature compared to the temperature required at ambient pressure,the first, second, and third vacuum barriers being multilayer laminatematerials, and the thermal control unit includes a vapor control valvemade from the first, second, and third vacuum barriers, a seal gasket,and a seal pin operable to control the rate of vapor flow between theevaporator and the sorber through the vapor pathway, the third vacuumbarrier having a first end portion and a second end portion, the firstend portion being in sealed engagement with the first vacuum barrier andthe second end portion being in sealed engagement with the second vacuumbarrier to define an internal barrier, the third vacuum barrier beingpositioned with the seal gasket to create a stable sealing surface, theseal pin protruding through the third vacuum barrier, but not throughthe first vacuum barrier or through the second vacuum barrier, the sealpin being located proximal to the seal gasket, and the seal pin beingmovable toward the sealing surface by atmospheric pressure.

16. The sorption heat pump of clause 15, wherein the thermal controlunit further includes a gearmotor positioned outward of the first andsecond vacuum barriers and proximal to the seal pin, the gearmotor beingoperable to move the seal pin to at least one of at least partiallyopening the vapor control valve and at least partially closing the vaporcontrol valve.

17. The sorption heat pump of clause 16, wherein the gearmotor isoperable to move the seal pin by pushing on the seal pin and deformingat least one of the first, second, and third vacuum barriers, andclosing the vapor control valve by not pushing on the seal pin.

18. The sorption heat pump of clause 16 or 17, wherein the gearmotor iscontrolled by a controller.

19. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-18, further including aphase change material buffer positioned in thermal contact with theevaporator to create a heat pipe effect to distribute heat within theevaporator.

20. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-19, wherein the vaporpathway has a cross sectional size between 0.01 and 10.0 squarecentimeters.

21. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-20, wherein the vaporpathway has a cross sectional size between 0.1 and 5.0 squarecentimeters.

22. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-21, wherein the vaporpathway has a maximum size in one dimension of between 0.01 and 2.0centimeters.

23. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-22, wherein the sorptionmaterial is zeolite, the working fluid is water, and the ratio of waterto zeolite is 100-500 grams of water per kilogram of dry zeolite.

24. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-23, wherein the sorptionmaterial is zeolite, the working fluid is water, and the ratio of waterto zeolite is 150-350 grams of water per kilogram of dry zeolite.

25. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-24, wherein the sorptionmaterial is zeolite, and the size of the zeolite granules is between 0.5and 12.0 millimeters in diameter.

26. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-25, wherein the sorptionmaterial is zeolite, and the size of the zeolite granules is between 1.5and 8.0 millimeters in diameter.

27. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-26, wherein the sorptionmaterial is zeolite, and the size of the zeolite granules is between 2.5and 3.5 millimeters in diameter.

28. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-27, further including aheater in thermal contact with the sorber to desorb the working fluidfrom the sorption material to produce the working fluid gas.

29. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 1-28, wherein the sorberremovably retains the sorption material therein and is structured topermit removal of sorbed sorption material and replacement with desorbedsorption material.

30. The sorption heat pump of clause 29, wherein the sorption materialis contained inside a removable cartridge and the sorber has a cartridgereceiver within which the cartridge is removably positionable, thecartridge retaining the sorption material therein as the sorber sorbsthe working fluid gas during the sorption phase.

31. A sorption heat pump, comprising:

-   -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to        evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas in        the evaporator;    -   a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working        fluid gas during a sorption phase;    -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber; and    -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of vapor        flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the vapor        pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next stop the        flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, and after        stopping the flow to then permit resumption of the flow of        working fluid gas through the vapor pathway.

32. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the temperatureof a temperature sensitive material, comprising:

-   -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and            operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working            fluid gas in the evaporator;        -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb            the working fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the evaporator being positioned inside the compartment        and the sorber being positioned outside the compartment.

33. The temperature controlled container of clause 32, further includinga phase change material buffer positioned inside the compartment inthermal contact with the evaporator to create a heat pipe effect todistribute heat within the evaporator.

34. The temperature controlled container of clause 33, wherein thecompartment includes a compartment wall and the phase change materialbuffer between the evaporator and the compartment wall.

35. The temperature controlled container of clause 33 or 34, furtherincluding a heater in thermal contact with the evaporator, the heaterbeing inside the compartment.

36. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses 32-35,further including a heater in thermal contact with the evaporator, theheater being inside the compartment.

37. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses 32-36,further including an insulation layer positioned about the compartment,the sorber being positioned outward of the insulation layer.

38. The temperature controlled container of clause 37, further includinga phase change material buffer positioned inside the compartment inthermal contact with the evaporator to create a heat pipe effect todistribute heat within the evaporator.

39. The temperature controlled container of clause 38, further includinga heater in thermal contact with the evaporator, the heater being insidethe compartment.

40. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses 37-39,further including a heater in thermal contact with the evaporator, theheater being inside the compartment.

41. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 32-40, further including aheater in thermal contact with the sorber to desorb the working fluidfrom the sorption material to produce the working fluid gas.

42. The sorption heat pump of any of clauses 32-41, further including aphase change material buffer in thermal contact with the sorber outsidethe compartment.

43. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses 32-42,wherein the sorber removably retains the sorption material therein andis structured to permit removal of sorbed sorption material andreplacement with desorbed sorption material.

44. The temperature controlled container of clause 43, wherein thesorption material is contained inside a removable cartridge and thesorber has a cartridge receiver within which the cartridge is removablypositionable, the cartridge retaining the sorption material therein asthe sorber sorbs the working fluid gas during the sorption phase.

45. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the temperatureof a temperature sensitive material, comprising:

-   -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to            evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas            in the evaporator;        -   a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working            fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the evaporator being positioned inside the compartment        and the sorber being positioned outside the compartment.

46. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the temperatureof a temperature sensitive material, comprising:

-   -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and            operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working            fluid gas in the evaporator;        -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb            the working fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the sorber being positioned inside the compartment and        the evaporator being positioned outside the compartment.

47. The temperature controlled container of clause 46, further includinga phase change material buffer positioned inside the compartment inthermal contact with the sorber to regulate the temperature of thecompartment.

48. The sorption heat pump of clause 46 or 47, further including aheater in thermal contact with the sorber to desorb the working fluidfrom the sorption material to produce the working fluid gas.

49. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses 46-48,further including an insulation layer positioned about the compartment,the evaporator being positioned outward of the insulation layer.

50. The temperature controlled container of clause 49, further includinga phase change material buffer positioned inside the compartment inthermal contact with the sorber to regulate the temperature of thecompartment.

51. The temperature controlled container of any of clauses 46-50,wherein the sorber removably retains the sorption material therein andis structured to permit removal of sorbed sorption material andreplacement with desorbed sorption material.

52. The temperature controlled container of clause 51, wherein thesorption material is contained inside a removable cartridge and thesorber has a cartridge receiver within which the cartridge is removablypositionable, the cartridge retaining the sorption material therein asthe sorber sorbs the working fluid gas during the sorption phase.

53. A temperature controlled container for maintaining the temperatureof a temperature sensitive material, comprising:

-   -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to            evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas            in the evaporator;        -   a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working            fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway; and    -   a compartment structured to store the temperature sensitive        material, the sorber being positioned inside the compartment and        the evaporator being positioned outside the compartment.

54. A temperature controlled apparatus, comprising:

-   -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator structured to contain a working fluid, and            operable to evaporate the working fluid to produce a working            fluid gas in the evaporator;        -   a sorber structured to contain a sorption material to sorb            the working fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway;    -   a cool compartment, the evaporator being positioned inside the        cool compartment;    -   a warm compartment, the sorber being positioned inside the warm        compartment;    -   a cool compartment insulation layer positioned about the cool        compartment and the evaporator, the warm compartment and the        sorber being positioned outward of the cool compartment        insulation layer; and    -   a warm compartment insulation layer positioned about the warm        compartment and the sorber, the cool compartment and the        evaporator being positioned outward of the warm compartment        insulation layer.

55. The temperature controlled unit of clause 54, further including aphase change material buffer positioned in thermal contact with theevaporator.

56. The temperature controlled unit of clause 54 or 55, furtherincluding a sorber phase change material buffer positioned in thermalcontact with the sorber.

57. The temperature controlled unit of clause 56, further including anevaporator phase change material buffer positioned in thermal contactwith the evaporator.

58. The temperature controlled unit of any of clauses 54-57, furtherincluding a heater in thermal contact with the sorber to desorb theworking fluid from the sorption material to produce the working fluidgas.

59. The temperature controlled unit of any of clauses 54-58, wherein thesorber removably retains the sorption material therein and is structuredto permit removal of sorbed sorption material and replacement withdesorbed sorption material.

60. The temperature controlled unit of clause 59, wherein the sorptionmaterial is contained inside a removable cartridge and the sorber has acartridge receiver within which the cartridge is removably positionable,the cartridge retaining the sorption material therein as the sorbersorbs the working fluid gas during the sorption phase.

61. A temperature controlled apparatus, comprising:

-   -   a sorption heat pump, comprising:        -   an evaporator containing a working fluid, and operable to            evaporate the working fluid to produce a working fluid gas            in the evaporator;        -   a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working            fluid gas during a sorption phase;        -   a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber;            and        -   a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate of            vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the            vapor pathway, and being selectively operable to permit the            flow of working fluid gas through the vapor pathway, to next            stop the flow of working fluid gas through the vapor            pathway, and after stopping the flow to then permit            resumption of the flow of working fluid gas through the            vapor pathway;    -   a cool compartment, the evaporator being positioned inside the        cool compartment;    -   a warm compartment, the sorber being positioned inside the warm        compartment;    -   a cool compartment insulation layer positioned about the cool        compartment and the evaporator, the warm compartment and the        sorber being positioned outward of the cool compartment        insulation layer; and    -   a warm compartment insulation layer positioned about the warm        compartment and the sorber, the cool compartment and the        evaporator being positioned outward of the warm compartment        insulation layer.

62. A method for reusing a sorption heat pump having an evaporatorcontaining a working fluid, the working fluid evaporating to a workingfluid gas in the evaporator, sorber containing a sorption material tosorb the working fluid gas during a sorption phase, a vapor pathwayconnecting the evaporator and the sorber, and a thermal control unitpositioned to control the rate of vapor flow between the evaporator andthe sorber through the vapor pathway comprising:

-   -   providing the sorption heat pump to a user;    -   after the user has operated the sorption heat pump to at least        partially sorb the sorption material in the sorber, receiving        back the sorption heat pump;    -   reconditioning the sorption heat pump; and    -   providing the reconditioned sorption heat pump to the user or        another user.

63. The method of clause 62 where the sorption material is removablefrom the sorber, wherein the step of reconditioning the sorption heatpump is accomplished by removal of the at least partially sorbedsorption material from the sorber, and then placing at leastsubstantially desorbed sorption material in the sorber.

64. The method of clause 62 or 63 where the sorption material iscontained inside a removable cartridge and the sorber has a cartridgereceiver within which the cartridge is removably positionable, thecartridge retaining the sorption material therein as the sorber sorbsthe working fluid gas during the sorption phase, wherein the step ofreconditioning the sorption material is accomplished by removal of thecartridge with the at least partially sorbed sorption material from thecartridge receiver, and then positioning a cartridge with at leastsubstantially desorbed sorption material in the cartridge receiver.

65. A method for reusing a temperature controlled container having asorption heat pump and a compartment for storing a temperature sensitivematerial, the sorption heat pump having an evaporator containing aworking fluid, the working fluid evaporating to a working fluid gas inthe evaporator, a sorber containing a sorption material to sorb theworking fluid gas during a sorption phase, a vapor pathway connectingthe evaporator and the sorber, and a thermal control unit positioned tocontrol the rate of vapor flow between the evaporator and the sorberthrough the vapor pathway, comprising:

-   -   providing the temperature controlled container to a user ready        for use by the user;    -   after the user has operated the sorption heat pump to at least        partially sorb the sorption material in the sorber, receiving        back the temperature-controlled container with the at least        partially sorbed sorption material;    -   reconditioning the sorption heat pump; and    -   providing the temperature controlled container with the        reconditioned sorption heat pump to the user or another user.

66. The method of clause 65 where the sorption material is removablefrom the sorber, wherein the step of reconditioning the sorption heatpump is accomplished by removal of the at least partially sorbedsorption material from the sorber, and then placing at leastsubstantially desorbed sorption material in the sorber.

67. The method of clause 65 or 66 where the sorption material iscontained inside a removable cartridge and the sorber has a cartridgereceiver within which the cartridge is removably positionable, thecartridge retaining the sorption material therein as the sorber sorbsthe working fluid gas during the sorption phase, wherein the step ofrecharging the sorption material is accomplished by removal of thecartridge with the at least partially sorbed sorption material from thecartridge receiver, and then positioning a cartridge with at leastsubstantially desorbed sorption material in the cartridge receiver.

The foregoing described embodiments depict different componentscontained within, or connected with, different other components. It isto be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary,and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented whichachieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangementof components to achieve the same functionality is effectively“associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, anytwo components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality canbe seen as “associated with” each other such that the desiredfunctionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedialcomponents. Likewise, any two components so associated can also beviewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to eachother to achieve the desired functionality.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that,based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from this invention and its broader aspects and,therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scopeof this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that theinvention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will beunderstood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein,and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appendedclaims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations).

Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appendedclaims.

1.-61. (canceled)
 62. A method for reusing a sorption heat pump havingan evaporator containing a working fluid, the working fluid evaporatingto a working fluid gas in the evaporator, sorber containing a sorptionmaterial to sorb the working fluid gas during a sorption phase, a vaporpathway connecting the evaporator and the sorber, and a thermal controlunit positioned to control the rate of vapor flow between the evaporatorand the sorber through the vapor pathway comprising: providing thesorption heat pump to a user; after the user has operated the sorptionheat pump to at least partially sorb the sorption material in thesorber, receiving back the sorption heat pump; reconditioning thesorption heat pump; and providing the reconditioned sorption heat pumpto the user or another user.
 63. The method of claim 62 where thesorption material is removable from the sorber, wherein the step ofreconditioning the sorption heat pump is accomplished by removal of theat least partially sorbed sorption material from the sorber, and thenplacing at least substantially desorbed sorption material in the sorber.64. The method of claim 62 where the sorption material is containedinside a removable cartridge and the sorber has a cartridge receiverwithin which the cartridge is removably positionable, the cartridgeretaining the sorption material therein as the sorber sorbs the workingfluid gas during the sorption phase, wherein the step of reconditioningthe sorption material is accomplished by removal of the cartridge withthe at least partially sorbed sorption material from the cartridgereceiver, and then positioning a cartridge with at least substantiallydesorbed sorption material in the cartridge receiver.
 65. A method forreusing a temperature controlled container having a sorption heat pumpand a compartment for storing a temperature sensitive material, thesorption heat pump having an evaporator containing a working fluid, theworking fluid evaporating to a working fluid gas in the evaporator, asorber containing a sorption material to sorb the working fluid gasduring a sorption phase, a vapor pathway connecting the evaporator andthe sorber, and a thermal control unit positioned to control the rate ofvapor flow between the evaporator and the sorber through the vaporpathway, comprising: providing the temperature controlled container to auser ready for use by the user; after the user has operated the sorptionheat pump to at least partially sorb the sorption material in thesorber, receiving back the temperature controlled container with the atleast partially sorbed sorption material; reconditioning the sorptionheat pump; and providing the temperature controlled container with thereconditioned sorption heat pump to the user or another user.
 66. Themethod of claim 65 where the sorption material is removable from thesorber, wherein the step of reconditioning the sorption heat pump isaccomplished by removal of the at least partially sorbed sorptionmaterial from the sorber, and then placing at least substantiallydesorbed sorption material in the sorber.
 67. The method of claim 65where the sorption material is contained inside a removable cartridgeand the sorber has a cartridge receiver within which the cartridge isremovably positionable, the cartridge retaining the sorption materialtherein as the sorber sorbs the working fluid gas during the sorptionphase, wherein the step of recharging the sorption material isaccomplished by removal of the cartridge with the at least partiallysorbed sorption material from the cartridge receiver, and thenpositioning a cartridge with at least substantially desorbed sorptionmaterial in the cartridge receiver.